We do PR differently.
At The PR Accelerator, we help people earn meaningful visibility without inflated fees, retainers, or pressure to do everything at once.
Our work is designed to meet you where you are. Sometimes that means building a clear plan. Sometimes it means refining your message. Sometimes it means pursuing PR — and sometimes it doesn’t.
This is modern PR, built with intention, clarity, and respect for your time and capacity.
Clients in
Our story
From our founder, Tracy Samantha Schmidt
“I started this company after watching too many smart people waste money on PR that didn’t work. They hired elite agencies, paid huge retainers, and often had very little to show for it.
I came from newsrooms, not agencies. I’d been a TIME journalist, a TV commentator, and a media executive. I also taught graduate journalism school and trained hundreds of top journalists in the field.
I knew PR wasn’t some opaque system or insider game. It works best when there’s a clear message, a thoughtful strategy, and an honest assessment of what’s ready — and what isn’t — before pitching begins.
In 2022, I launched The PR Accelerator to offer a different approach: one that’s more focused, more empowering, and better aligned with how trust and attention move today.
Our clients’ results speak for themselves: a New York Times exclusive, extensive Tier One media coverage, appearances on every TV network, SXSW virality, a $2.3M Kickstarter, and more — all achieved through focused strategy and intentional execution.”
Industries we’ve worked with
AI • CPG • Coaching • E-commerce • Entertainment • Environmental Sciences • Finance • Fine Arts • Food & Beverage • Gaming • Government • Healthcare • Higher Education • Hospitality • Human Resources • Legal • Management Consulting • Manufacturing • Marketing • Media • Non-Profits • Politics • Publishing • Real Estate • Sales • Social Impact • Social Services • Staffing • Technology
Select clients
Since our founding as a communications consultancy in 2015, we’ve helped over 100 brands and hundreds of individuals get the attention they deserve. They include:
1o8 Agency • 3Fold Collective • 7 Layer Design • Aether Biomedical • Advocate Healthcare • Aging Together • American Library Association • American Society of Anesthesiologists • Anderson Wanca • BCV • Brightpoint • Cardmill • The Chicago Network • City of Chicago • Crain Communications • Economic Restoration • Elmhurst University • Globowl • Grey Matter Training • Gundir • i.c.stars • Indigo Group • Institute for Nonviolence Chicago • Jumpstart The Job Search • Keenan Reid Strategies • Kin Insurance • MTG Media Group • Northwood Group • OKRP • Oliva Capital • Origin Investments • Project& • Redding Futures • Results Resourcing • Rotary International • Signal + Cipher • sisu • Technori • Unify America • University of Chicago • University of Illinois • Uptake Technologies • Vavoom Pinups • Veerless • Windy City Indie • YPO •
MEET OUR FOUNDER
Tracy Samantha Schmidt
Tracy Samantha Schmidt is a trusted strategist to influential entrepreneurs, bestselling authors, speakers, artists, and all kinds of brands — helping them earn attention, build reputations, and get chosen faster. She began her career as TIME Magazine's youngest reporter, covering the rise of social media and pioneering new ways to report the news. Her master's thesis also ran in TIME and was covered by The Today Show, Oprah, MTV, and Vogue.
Tracy later co-founded ChicagoNow.com, the Chicago Tribune’s groundbreaking influencer network, co-created a radio show on WGN, and went on to serve as a media executive at Crain Communications, where she led global social media strategy, unifying the efforts of 18 newsrooms and training hundreds of journalists. She has also been a frequent TV commentator on ABC, CBS, and FOX, spoken at dozens of conferences, and taught personal branding to thousands of professionals. She spent a decade teaching marketing at the University of Chicago and has also taught graduate-level journalism.
After advising more than 100 brands on marketing and communications, Tracy launched The PR Accelerator in 2022 to disrupt the traditional PR agency model. A Chicago-area native, she lives in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where she’s starting a lavender farm with her husband.
Lauren Wambold Patel, CEO, Keenan Reid Strategies
“The PR Accelerator helped me find a clear message for our company and a communications strategy I could actually execute. It changed how I talk about my business and gave us real visibility to reach more prospects. With Tracy’s help, we were able to get an interview published in Fast Company – a huge win for our credibility.”
Erica Bethe Levin, Founder and CEO, Globowl
“Although I've always considered myself PR savvy, traditional PR hasn't always felt like it was working. Tracy armed me with the tools I needed to do it the right way, on my own, and it's been more effective than anything else we've ever tried. She goes above and beyond to support her clients, celebrates every win, and even makes sure we all have fun along the way.”
Seth Kravitz, Co-founder of Technori
“Because of Tracy, we were first covered by CBS and then inundated with press coverage. Tracy's PR strategy was a game-changer for our organization and one of the reasons why we grew so fast. I'm incredibly grateful for her support and friendship."